Notable 2014 Deaths

Mike Nichols, the director of matchless versatility who brought fierce wit, caustic social commentary and wicked absurdity to such film, TV and stage hits as "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," "The Graduate," "Angels in America" and "Monty Python's Spamalot," died Nov. 19. He was 83.

Jan Hooks

Jan Hooks, of 'SNL' and countless other movies and TV shows, died at the age of 57. (credit: Donald Weber/Getty Images)

The "Jurassic Park" star and director of "Ghandi" died Aug. 24 at age 90.

Joan Rivers

(credit: Getty Images)

Legendary comedienne Joan Rivers died on Sept. 4 at age 81, one week after going into cardiac arrest during a vocal chord procedure.

James Brady

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James Brady, a spokesman for former President Ronald Reagan and gun control activist, died on Aug. 4, 2014. He was 73.

Bobby Womack

(credit: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

His record label announced his death on Friday, June 27. He was 70 years old.

Casey Kasem

(credit: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

Renowned radio and TV host Casey Kasem passed away at 82 years old on June 15, 2014.

Ruby Dee

(credit: Brad Barket/Getty Images)

Ruby Dee, an acclaimed actor and civil rights activist whose versatile career spanned stage, radio television and film, died at age 91. Her long career brought her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role in the 2007 film "American Gangster."

Malik Bendjelloul

(credit: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for SXSW)

Malik Bendjelloul, the acclaimed Swedish film director behind the Oscar-winning music documentary "Searching for Sugar Man" died on May 13. He was 36.

H.R. Giger

(credit: 20th Century Fox)

Artist H.R. Giger, best known for his revolutionary, Oscar-winning production and creature design for Ridley Scott's 1979 film "Alien," died on May 13. He was 74.

Bob Hoskins

(credit: Samir Hussein/Getty Images)

Bob Hoskins turns on the Christmas lights at St Paul's Cathedral on November 3, 2009 in London, England.

Bob Hoskins

(credit: ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/GettyImages)

British actor Bob Hoskins, whose varied career ranged from "Mona Lisa" to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?," died at age 71 on April 30, following a bout of pneumonia.

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

(credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, the subject of Bob Dylan's song, died of prostate cancer on Sunday, April 20 in Toronto.

Peaches Geldof

(credit: Stuart Wilson/Getty Images)

Peaches Geldof, the wild-child second daughter of Irish singer Bob Geldof who filled the pages of British tabloids with her late-night antics as she partied through the world of fashion and celebrity, was found dead April 7 at age 25.

Dave Brockie

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Dave Brockie, lead singer for the heavy metal band GWAR, was found dead in his house by a band member on March 23. He was 50.

Mickey Rooney

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Mickey Rooney attends the the Actors Fund's 17th annual Tony Awards viewing party held at Taglyan Cultural Complex on June 9, 2013 in Hollywood, California.

John Pinette

(credit: Chris Trotman/Getty Images for NASCAR)

John Pinette, the chubby stand-up comedian who portrayed a hapless carjacking victim in the final episode of "Seinfeld," died of natural causes on April 5. He was 50.

Mickey Rooney

(credit: Chris Blumenshine/Getty Images)

Mickey Rooney, Hollywood's top box-office draw in the late 1930s to early 1940s, died April 6 at his North Hollywood home at age 93. Over the course of his career, he was nominated for four Academy Awards and received two special Oscars for film achievements, received an Emmy and a Tony nomination.

Frankie Knuckles

(credit: Claire Greenway/Getty Images)

Frankie Knuckles, a Chicago disc jockey known as the "Godfather of House Music," has died at age 59. The Grammy winner is considered a key figure in the evolution of the electronic dance music genre, dating back three decades.

Fred Phelps

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Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, died at age 84. Phelps became famous for organizing picket lines of brightly-colored signs carrying hateful messages against homosexuality and tolerance during the funerals of military personnel and famous figures. His actions led to at least two federal and several state laws restricting protests during military funerals.

William Clay Ford, Sr.

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William Clay Ford, the owner of the Detroit Lions and last surviving grandchild of automotive pioneer Henry Ford, died on March 9. He was 88.

Paco de Lucía

(credit: JOSE LUIS ROCA/AFP/Getty Images)

Famed Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucía died at 66 years old on Feb. 26, 2014.

Harold Ramis

(credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

PHOENIX - FEBRUARY 14: Actor Harold Ramis attends NBA All-Star Saturday Night, part of 2009 NBA All-Star Weekend at US Airways Center on February 14, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by

Harold Ramis

(credit: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Second City)

Harold Ramis, who directed beloved comedy classics "Caddyshack" and "Groundhog Day" and starred as the bespectacled Ghostbuster Egon Spengler, died Feb. 24 at age 69.

Sid Caesar With Writers On TV Set

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American comedian Sid Caesar sits and speaks with his writers during rehearsal on the set of his live television sketch comedy series, "Your Show of Shows."

Sid Caesar

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Career Achievement Award Winner, Sid Ceasar at the17th Annual TCA Awards held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Huntington, CA., Saturday, July 21, 2001.

Sid Caesar

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Sid Caesar, the prodigiously talented pioneer of TV comedy who paired with Imogene Coca (also pictured) in sketches that became classics and who inspired a generation of famous writers, died early Feb. 12. He was 91.

Shirley Temple Black

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Shirley Temple, the dimpled, curly-haired child star who sang, danced, sobbed and grinned her way into the hearts of Depression-era moviegoers, died Feb. 10. She was 85. Following her early stardom, she later became active in politics and held several diplomatic posts in Republican administrations, including ambassador to Czechoslovakia during the historic collapse of communism in 1989.

Pete Seeger

(credit: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

Pete Seeger, the banjo-picking troubadour who sang for migrant workers, college students and star-struck presidents in a career that introduced generations of Americans to their folk music heritage, died Jan. 27 at the age of 94.

Milos Forman (L), Czechoslovakian-born US filmmake

(credit: ROB BOREN/AFP/Getty Images)

Saul Zaentz, a music producer whose second career as a filmmaker brought him best-picture Academy Awards for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Amadeus" and "The English Patient," died Jan. 3. He was 92.